I'm about to start the shadowing programme (like most FY1s I'm assuming) and am extremely nervous.

Anyway, my first question is regarding the onsite accommodation provided by the hospital. Does anyone have any info regarding the pricing and types of accommodation generally speaking (eg. is it a studio, apartment, house, etc)? I prefer to live alone rather than share with someone. I'm guessing the accommodation would be equipped with a washer and/or dryer or am I wrong to assume that? And what about grocery shopping? Do most have some type of grocery store near by? I'm moving to a new city and will be alone so I'm hoping to make the move as simple as possible.
I'm waiting for an answer from my Foundation School contact however I thought I'd ask here as well.

Last but not least, I've got a shadowing programme/week coming up and I'm not sure exactly what is acceptable to wear. White coats necessary? Shoes? I prefer wearing short sleeved shirts. I don't feel comfortable wearing dress shoes/pants etc but if that is what is required then of course I'll abide by the rules.
Any guidance would be appreciated!

I'm an EU graduate and so everything is quite different (and daunting!) for me and don't have anyone else to ask.

Most hospital accommodation that I've seen is organised in flats, with single bedrooms and a shared kitchen/bathroom usually between 4-6 people. Sometimes there is also a shared living room. I would not expect there to be a washing machine in the flat, there may be a laundry room somewhere in the building or you may have to go to a commercial laundrette. Contact your accommodation office with these questions, they should be able to help you! As for supermarkets, googlemaps is your friend. Most of the UK major supermarkets will also deliver for an additional charge.

For your shadowing (and your actual job) you will need smart trousers - doesn't have to be suit trousers, but jeans would not be acceptable. Short sleeved shirts are ok. Smart dark shoes. I'm assuming you're male from what you've said, so I won't talk about skirts/heels etc.

They will most likely offer a variety of accommodation. Communal flats seem to be a staple but more expensive stuff might be on offer too. Yes of course there will be laundry facilities of some description - that's like asking whether there will be electricity They will give you info, don't worry.

Its very common to be new to the area and alone, and to use hospital accommodation as a way to meet people before renting private accommodation elsewhere together with friends you make.

There will be a food shop somewhere near the hospital no doubt. Big supermarkets or whatever might be a little distance away though - it really depends on where the hospital is. Use google. Its not a uni campus - not everything will be right there I'm afraid.

Normal attire for a man is a smart shirt* with sleeves rolled up (white-blue spectrum is the fashion atm), smart trousers and dark shoes (I wear dark trainers but most wear smarter shoes than that). White coats actually aren't allowed in this country. Or at least, would raise many an eyebrow and no doubt violate the bare below the elbows rule that every hospital now employs. Literally no one wears a white coat, trust me. Just smart clothing.

There probably will be a few cultural differences to deal with at first. Don't be worried if it all seems a little overwhelming at first (particularly at induction - those have a habit of terrifying everyone)- you will most likely have more to learn than anyone else, but will also be the one who learns the quickest. Seek support as and when you need it.

*Once you've clocked where you can get scrub tops from you can wear that instead and not ever have to iron any shirts ever again ... but again I seem to be alone in doing that no matter the occasion

Great. Thank you all for your replies. It helps with the nerves and clarifies things quite a bit.

I would love to wear scrubs the whole time however I'm not sure if that would be acceptable in all departments/rotations. I'm sure in EM it would be fine (looking forward to it), however during Geriatrics and Gen Surg (as an FY1) not sure if it would fly.

Also, does anyone know what "Vision Training" refers to? Again, being a non-UK graduate, a bit of a newbie with some of the terminology. It's a part of the shadowing programme, that's all I know.

(Original post by kofte)
Great. Thank you all for your replies. It helps with the nerves and clarifies things quite a bit.

I would love to wear scrubs the whole time however I'm not sure if that would be acceptable in all departments/rotations. I'm sure in EM it would be fine (looking forward to it), however during Geriatrics and Gen Surg (as an FY1) not sure if it would fly.

Also, does anyone know what "Vision Training" refers to? Again, being a non-UK graduate, a bit of a newbie with some of the terminology. It's a part of the shadowing programme, that's all I know.

Scrubs are generally less acceptable on the wards unless you're on anaesthetics.

That said, when I'm on call on the weekend or nights, I tend to wear a scrub top with chinos because I cba with laundry at that point.

Vision Training, I suspect, is probably a "brief" introduction on how to use a piece of software. The name suggests it's probably what they use to view x-rays or something.

(Original post by kofte)
I would love to wear scrubs the whole time however I'm not sure if that would be acceptable in all departments/rotations. I'm sure in EM it would be fine (looking forward to it), however during Geriatrics and Gen Surg (as an FY1) not sure if it would fly.

I do it all the time and no one's said anything (top half only - pockets on scrub bottoms are useless). I think it would fly on surgery just fine - maybe you've got to theatre soon, who's gonna know?

(Original post by nexttime)
I do it all the time and no one's said anything (top half only - pockets on scrub bottoms are useless). I think it would fly on surgery just fine - maybe you've got to theatre soon, who's gonna know?

Most of the hospitals in my area forbid wearing scrubs outside of theatre, it sucks. It's reassuring to hear that other places aren't like this though, because scrubs 24/7 is all I want out of life. I hate having to worry/think about my wardrobe, but would be afraid to just rock up in scrubs as a foundation doc unless it was the department standard. Maybe I'll give it a go. I still can't help but imagine you'd get funny looks on a medical job though

I always wanted to be in hospital accommodation to meet people in my first job, but the hospital I'm just finishing up F1 in had basically zero accommodation available for staff except some kind of emergency temporary places with a max stay of like a month. I ended up having to go on spareroom.com

It sounds like you're on the case, but definitely check. I honestly didn't expect mine to have nothing, as it's a very big hospital! I hope you manage to sort everything out though!

I think everybody is a bit terrified before F1 (otherwise they're a liar haha) so don't worry you'll be in the same boat as a lot of people. Lots of the things which will be different for you are actually also going to be different for many UK people who aren't locally trained, as they vary from region to region and hospital to hospital - really basic stuff like how to request things, how to get around, what the processes are for referrals and so on.

At my hospital, scrubs are only allowed on nights or if you have been assisting in theatre.

None of the hospitals I have worked in have had accommodation. *I think hospital accommodation is becoming an increasingly rare concept these days, so I would not just assume that it will be available, OP (though I suspect you have looked into this and are not just assuming...). *The places I know where accommodation is available, you need to arrange things quite well in advance, so I would encourage you to sort this out soon as possible as shadowing week is not that far away! *

Food shopping wise, if you are in a city, it is more than likely that there will be a store of some description within walking distance. *As has already been mentioned, internet shopping is also an option. *

As for laundry, the hospital accommodation I stayed in as a student had a washer and dryer, however these were quite expensive to use (I think the washing machine cost £4 per go, and the dryer was either £1 or £2 per 10 minutes). *Not ideal, but manageable.

(Original post by nexttime)
So what do ITU wear? What do A&E wear? What do you do if someone vomits on you? What do anaesthetists do when working outside theatre? Or surgeons who have come from theatre?

Also: only allowed to wear them at night? What logic is that based on?

In one of my hospitals (big shiny London teaching one) we had to change from blue scrubs to pink every time we left theatres to go to the wards/ICU and vice versa. During one on-call day I changed 14 times.

(Original post by nexttime)
So what do ITU wear? What do A&E wear? What do you do if someone vomits on you? What do anaesthetists do when working outside theatre? Or surgeons who have come from theatre?

A&E and ITU both eear regular clothes. Anaesthetists and surgeons are expected to change when leaving theatre. You can get away with it if you are going to another clinical area, but you certainly would not be served in the mess or café in scrubs, and would get told off if you went to outpatients or the education centre or somewhere like that still in scrubs

(Original post by Ghotay)
A&E and ITU both eear regular clothes. Anaesthetists and surgeons are expected to change when leaving theatre. You can get away with it if you are going to another clinical area, but you certainly would not be served in the mess or café in scrubs, and would get told off if you went to outpatients or the education centre or somewhere like that still in scrubs

(Original post by Helenia)
In one of my hospitals (big shiny London teaching one) we had to change from blue scrubs to pink every time we left theatres to go to the wards/ICU and vice versa. During one on-call day I changed 14 times.

(Original post by nexttime)
So what do ITU wear? What do A&E wear? What do you do if someone vomits on you? What do anaesthetists do when working outside theatre? Or surgeons who have come from theatre?

Also: only allowed to wear them at night? What logic is that based on?

To be fair, I was referring to the dress code for junior doctors, since the OP is asking about what to wear as an FY1 I haven't spent a lot of time in ITU, but many of the docs there to wear their own clothes. *A+E have a uniform. Anaesthetist and surgeons do wear scrubs if they have come from theatre, but the surgeons nearly always change into normal clothes for ward rounds. Essentially, my hospital seems to have a general shortage of scrubs and often run out of the more popular sizes, and*I have heard of FY1s being stopped in corridors by theatre nurses and asked to change, even if they had just come out of theatre after assisting

As for the scrubs at night, I really don't get that either! *But it seems to be the socially accepted thing to wear on nights and the people who don't wear them are very much in the minority. *I suspect it's because there's less chance of being caught and told off *But if I'm going to be working nights, I might as well do it in the hospital equivalent of PJs!*

(Original post by Helenia)
In one of my hospitals (big shiny London teaching one) we had to change from blue scrubs to pink every time we left theatres to go to the wards/ICU and vice versa. During one on-call day I changed 14 times.

What an utter waste of time. You could have performed several jobs in that time.

(Original post by Helenia)
In one of my hospitals (big shiny London teaching one) we had to change from blue scrubs to pink every time we left theatres to go to the wards/ICU and vice versa. During one on-call day I changed 14 times.